Metabolite profiling identifies chemical markers associated with the cytotoxic properties of roasted fermented avocado seeds

Abstract

Studies have demonstrated avocado seeds are a good source of bioactive compounds. This study investigated the effects of roasting on the metabolites and anticancer activities of fermented avocado seeds. All three anti-cancer activities of fermented avocado seeds were higher at lower roasting temperature and time. The best inhibition effect was found against Hep G2 followed by the MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 cancer cell lines. Untargeted metabolite profiling using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry resulted in identification of 208 metabolites. In total, 41 metabolites identified had VIP values more than 1 using PLS-R that were related to anticancer activities. All amino acids and most sugars were higher at lower roasting temperature and positively correlated to anticancer activity. The roasting conditions for optimal antioxidant and anticancer activities were determined to be 121 °C for 9 min. Findings showed that fermented avocado seed powder has the potential to become a functional food ingredient with beneficial bioctive properties.

Keywords: Anti-cancer; Antioxidant; Avocado seeds; Fermentation; GC–MS metabolomics; Response surface methodology; Roasting.